Method of cutting metal fence posts from sheet material



w. P. PICKETT 1,813,761

METHOD OFCUTTTNG METAL FENCE POSTS FROM SHEET MATERIAL July 7, 1931.

Filed May 18. 1929 Z. o A E w n a a o o o a a a o o o I n a 0 n. 0 n n B n 0 v 0 B y 0 D 0 A v v w 21 M n 7 .1 1M, 0

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Patented July 7, 1931 STATES PATENT OFFICE WINGATE P. FICKETT, OF UNION SPRINGS, ALABAMA Application filed May 18,

This invention relates to improvements in methods for strikin metallic fence posts from sheet material.

The primary object of this invention is the provision of improved means for outing fence posts from a blank sheet of metal, in an efficient and novel relation for the purpose of conserving material.

Other objects and advantages of this inventicn will be apparent during the course of the following detailed description.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification, and wherein similar reference characters designate corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure 1 is a plan view of a sheet of metal, showing the relation in which the same may be cut to provide corner and line posts,

in an efficient and economical relation, without loss of material.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of a corner post formed in the improved manner.

Figure 3 is a perspective view of one of the line posts formed according to this invention.

In the drawings, wherein for the purpose of illustration is shown only a preferred embodiment of the invention, the letter A may generally designate one of the corner posts, and B one of the line posts, which are adapted to be set into position for the support of a wire fence.

The corner post A is preferably formed of a single body of sheet metal, of any approved gauge necessary for the requirements. The same includes leg portions or wings 10 and 11, bent in right angled relation to each other, along a bending line 12. The outer longitudinal edges 13 and 14 of the legs or wings 10 and 11 respectively taper upwardly in a convergent relation with respect to the bending line 12, from the lower end of the post, where the legs are widest, to the upper end of the post where the said legs are narrowest. This provides a post in which there is no excess of material at the upper portions of the wings,

. since at that location, the same is not necessary. The greatest stress, of course, occurs 1929. Serial No. 364,272.

at the bottom of the post, due to the tenddency of the forces coming upon the post to fulcrum the same at its ground connection. The wings or legs 10 and 11 are each provided with a series of staple or bolt receiving openings 16, paralleling the outer edges 13 and 14 thereof. It is to be noted that the lower corner portions of the legs or wings 10 and 11 are removed, defining edges 17 and 18 which respectively extend in acute angular relation from the edges 13 and 14 and in an acute inclined convergent relation downwardly with respect to the fold or bending line 12,.so that the extreme lower portion. of the post is of reduced cross section, that is, downwardly tapered, to facilitate ground insertion, when the post is to be driven.

The linepost B is of somewhat different cross section than the corner post A. It is formed of a single sheet of metal, bent along a bending or fold line 20, to provide legs or wings 21 and 22. The wing 21, which is the fence attaching wing, is of uniform width throughout the height of the post B, but however, the wing or leg 22 i the rein forcement for the wing or leg 21, and it is bent in a right angled relation therewith. For the purposes of this invention the leg or wing 22 is widest at the bottom thereof, from whence it tapers upwardly in a convergent relation to the top thereof. .Thus, the outer edge 24 of the wingor leg 21 converges upwardly with respect to the bending line 20 to the top of the post. The wing or leg 21 is of uniform width from end to end.

However, the wing or leg 21, at the bottom thereof, has a corner cut away, providing an edge 27 which slopes in angled relation from the edge 24 downwardly to an intersecting relation with the bend line 20 at the lower edge'30 of the post leg 21. Thus, the short lower end portion of the post B is tapered downwardly, pointing the post for the purpose of facilitating ground entry. The attaching leg 21 is provided with a vertical series of staple or bolt receiving openings 32, therealong, of course in a series paralleling the edge 20. I

For the purpose of reinforcing and bracing the line post B, it is preferred to attach a stabilizing clip onto the attaching leg 21, as by riveting or bolting at 42. The clip 40 is of triangular formation, consisting of the corner pieces which are cut out the lower cornered ends of the wings 10, 11, and 22 of the corner, and line posts. These clips 40 lie in a plane paralleling the legs 21, and laterally project at the ends thereof beyond the side edges of the attaching leg 21, for a purpose which is well known in this art.

Referring more particularlyto Figure 1, which shows a rectangular sheet of metal, the full lines designate the cutting lines along which the metal is severed to provide corner and line posts, and the dotted lines designate the bending lines. It is shown in Figure 1 that the side portions thereof are cut to provide blanks B, with the cutting line 24 of each biased with respect to the longitudinal axis of the blank, that is, extending in acute angled relation with respect to the outermost edges 19 of the plate. The dotted line 20, of course, designates the fold line and it parallels the edge 19. At the larger or wider end of the blanks B the corner clips l0 are removed by cutting along lines 41, as shown in Figure 1. The remain ing portion of the rectangular sheet of metal is marked and out to form the corner posts A, and in blank said corner posts have the edges thereof biased as to the length of the sheet of metal from which they are out, as shown in Figure 1 of the drawings; the blanks A, which form the corner posts being alternately reversed, from end to end, in the cutting operation. In this cutting operation the dotted lines 12 designated in Figure 1 are in parallelism with each other, and with the side edges 19 of the sheet of material from which the posts have been blanked, and the wire ends of the post blanks B have the corners thereof removed to provide the clips 40 above described, and as is well shown in Figure 1 of the drawings.

Various changes in the shape, size, and arrangement of parts may be made to the form of invention herein shown and described, without departing from the spirit of the in- I vention or the scope of the claims.

I claim:

1. The method of striking tapered metal post blanks having converging edges from a single sheet of metal which consists in cutting line posts at the side longitudinal portions of the sheet of metal in relative end to end inverted relation, by severing them from the sheet of metal along parallel cutting lines which are biased as to the length of the sheet of metal, and subdividing the remaining portion of the sheet of metal into corner posts which are adjacently inverted end to end in the blank by relatively severing them 7 along cutting lines extending in alternately inclined relation along the length of the sheet of metal.

2. The method of striking metal post blanks from a single sheet of metal which consists in cutting line posts at the side longitudinal portions of the sheet of metal in relative end to end inverted relation, by severing them from the sheet of metal along parallel cutting lines which are biased as to the length of the sheet of metal, and subdividing the remaining portion of the sheet of metal into corner posts which are adjacently inverted end to end in the blank by relatively severing them along cutting lines which are biased in an adjacently inclined relation along the length of the sheet of metal, and cutting'clips in triangular relation from the wider ends of said post blanks. 3. The method of striking metal post blanks from a single sheet of metal which consists in cutting line posts at the side longitudinal portions of the sheet of metal in relative end to end inverted relation, by severing them from the sheet of metal along parallel cutting lines which are biased as to the length of the sheet of metal, and subdividing the remaining portion of the sheet of metal into corner posts which are adj acently inverted end to end in the blank by relatively severing them along cutting lines which are biased in an ad acently 1nclined relation along the length of the sheet of metal, cutting clips in triangular relation from the wider ends of said post blanks, and stamping retaining openings in series along said post blanks paralleling the biased cutting edges.

VVINGATE P. PICKETT. 

